The Bloomingdale’s rumors have been churning for some time now. Two years ago, our resident pap HughE Dillon wrote on his blog, Philly Chit Chat, that reps from Bloomie’s looked at the Burlington Coat Factory space four times, once with lawyers and a design team. (In a July 2014 update on the post, HughE wrote that Bloomingdale’s was seeking other spaces, as the city won’t let them tear down the BCF building.)

And then, early last month, MSC Retail sent out a heartening email announcing that Bloomingdale’s is “actively looking” for space for a full-line store in Center City. MSC president and CEO Michael Salove wouldn’t comment further on the possibility; Brittany Goldberg, MSC’s “high-street specialist” (she’s the one who helps bring the big-name retailers to Philly), also wouldn’t comment when I reached out to her. Read more »

Over on Naked Philly, there are the beginnings of rumblings about a Banana Republic opening at 1911 Chestnut Street, right across from the Boyd Theater. This news comes from very reputable sources, i.e. “two dudes sitting on coolers outside the space.”